Air-relief valve for sprinkler systems



F. ECKS. AIR RELIEF VALVE FOR SPRINKLER SYSTEMS. APPUCATION FILED MAY21, 19|9.

1,326,922, Patented J an. 6, 1920.

FRED ECKS, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

AIR-RELIEF VALVE FOB, SPRINKLER SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Application filed May 21, 1919. Serial No. 298,689.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED Eons, a citizen of the United States, andresiding at New York, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Relief Valves forSprinkler Systems, of which the following is a specification, such aswill enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

This invention relates to relief valves, and particularly to valves ofthis class designed to be used in connection with sprinkler systemsemploying compressed air as the seal or controlling medium, and theobject of this invention is to provide a valve of the class specifiedwhich is designed to quickly release the air in the pipes of the systemto permit of the quick passage of water into and through said pipes; afurther object being to provide a valve of the class specified. withmeans whereby the passage of water out through such valve isautomatically stopped; and with these and other objects in view theinvention. consists in a device of the class and for the purposespecified, constructed and operating as hereinafter described andclaimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawing forms a part, said drawingbeing adiagrammatic sectional view of a sprinkler apparatus showing my improvedvalve in connection therewith, in which the separate parts aredesignated by suitable reference characters.

In the drawing I have shown at 1 a dry pipe valve construction of whatis known as the Grinnell type, and this valve is merely shown in outlinesectional form to illus trate one use of my improved valve constructionshown at 2 in the drawing.

The dry pipe valve 1 consists in the con struction shown of a base 3having a conical head portion 4- connected therewith as shown at 5, andmovably mounted in the base portion 8 is a valve member 6 adapted tobeheld in a raised position by a spring-operated pawl 7 in the usual.manner, the base 3 of the valve 1 is provided with a flange 8 with whichis connected a water supply pipe 9 having a gate valve 10 therein. Thehead 1 of the valve is provided with a flange 11 with which is connected,a main sprinkler supply pipe 12 in which is mounted a plu rality ofbranch or distributer pipes 13,

any number of which may be employed, and which will extend into theseparate flo is of a building in the usual manner, and the usualsprinkler heads and other branch pipes are connected therewith, inpractice, but these pipes and sprinkler heads are not shown as they formno part of this invention. At the top of the pipe 12, or at theuppermost end thereof is a T-shaped coupling 14 with which is connecteda supplemental pipe 15, which connects with the top portion of myimproved relief valve 2 as shown at 16. a

My improved air relief valve 2 is shown in the accompanying drawing on alarger scale than that of the dry pipe valve 1, but, in practice, Ipreferably mount my improved valve 2 in juxtaposition to or at one sideof the valve 1, as illustrated in the drawing, and the valve 2comprises. in. the form of construction shown, a cylindrical base 17,and a cylindrical head 18 connected with the base 17 as shown at 19.Mounted at one side of the cylindrical base 1'? of the valve andconnected therewith by a pipe coupling 20 is an elongated float chamber21 provided at the bottom with a detachablev semi-circular cap 22, andat the top thereof with an outlet or drain pipe 23 which may beconnected with. or placed in communi cation with a drain of any kind orclass not shown.

The top portion of the cylindrical base 17 is provided with a valve seat24 in connection with which a diskshaped valve member 25 is adapted tooperate, said valve member being mounted on the upper end portion of ashaft 26, the upper end of which has a bearing in a web construction 27in the bottom part of the cylindrical head 18 and a piston 28 is mountedon the lower end portion of the shaft 26 and operates in a sleevebushing 29 in the lower end portion of the cylindrical base 17. It willbe un derstood that the sleeve 29 is secured in connection with thecylindrical base 17 in the position shown in the drawing in any desired.manner, and the top of said sleeve is bent inwardly to form an annularflange 30 which. limits the upward movement of the piston 28 and forms aseat therefor.

The bottom of the cylindrical base 17 is open and adapted to be closedby a cap or cover 31, and connected. with one side of the cylindricalbase is a pipe 32 which also connects with the base 3 of the dry pipevalve as shown at 33. Mounted in the float chamber 21 is a hollowspherical float valve member 3 1, which is adapted to operate inconnection with an annular seat 35 in the top ortion of the floatchamber 21 as in dicated in dotted lines in the drawing.

From the foregoing description the operation of my improved relief valve2 will be readily understood when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing and the following statement. In practice, air undera predetermined pressure is admitted into the conical head portion 1 ofthe valve 1 and into the supply pipe 12 and branch pipes 13 as well asinto the pipe 15 and into the cylindrical head 18 of the relief valve2,it being understood that in this operation the gate valve 10 is closed,and after the pipes 12, 13 and 15 and the head portion 4 of the valve 1and cylindrical head 18 of the valve 2 are filled with air at thedesired pressure, the gate valve 10 is opened to admit water to pass upinto engagement with the bottom face of the valve member 6, but thepressure of this water will not be suflicient to raise said valve memberagainst the air pressure in the top or head portion a of the valve 1.

With the apparatus in the position or condition above set out, and inthe event of the opening of one of the sprinkler heads, which are notshown, by reason of the pres ence of a fire adjacent to said head, or inthe room within which the sprinkler head or heads are located. the airin the system consisting of the pipes '12, 13 and 15 will be dischargedthrough said sprinkler heads, and when this discharge of air reduces thepressure in the head portion at of the valve 1, the valve member 6 willbe raised by the water pressure and water will be discharged into andthrough the pipes 12 and 13, and this water will also pass through thepipe 32 into the cylindrical base 17 of the relief valve 2, and willraise the piston 28, which operation opens the valve member 25 to permitof the passage or discharge of air from the pipes 12 and 13 through thepipe 15 out through the relief valve 2, or the outlet or drain pipe 23thereof. It will be understood that the piston 28 striking the flange 30on the sleeve 29 will limit the upward movement of the piston and alsoprevent the passage of water into the float chamber 21.

It will be apparent-that by automatically opening, the valve member 25in the relief valve 2 in the manner above set out, and by reason ofthesize or capacity of the pipe 15in relation to that of the discharge of asprinkler head, or a plurality of sprinkler heads, the compressed air inthe pipes 12 and 13 .is quickly relieved or more quickly discharged fromthe system and permits the water to flow to the desired outlet at agreater speed thus putting the sprinkler apparatus into quickeroperation, and preventing unnecessary spreading of a fire due to theslowness in the operation of apparatus of this class, as nowconstructed. After all of the air between the valve 1 and the particularoutlet in the system through a sprinkler head, or a plurality ofsprinkler heads has been discharged either through said sprinkler headsor the relief valve 2, it will be apparent that the water from the pipe9 will pass through the pipe 15 into and through the valve 2 to thefloat chamber 21 and as the water rises in said float chamber, the floatvalve member 3% will rise in said float chamber until it reaches theposition indicated in dotted lines, in which position the passage ofwater out through the outlet or drain pipe 23 will be stopped, and thisas will be seen will prevent the waste of water and keep a predeterminedpressure in the system.

It will be apparent that while I have shown certain details ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, I am not necessarilylimited to these details, nor to any specific form of dry pipe valve,nor to any particular arrangement of pipes in the system, and variouschanges in and modifications of the construction herein shown anddescribed, may be made, Within the scope of the appended claims, withoutde parting from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing itsadvantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A relief valve of the class described, comprising a cylinder having acylinder head, a float chamber in communication with said cylinder, apiston movably mounted in one end portion of the cylinder, a valve seatin the other end portion of the cylinder, a shaft connected with andmovable with said piston, a valve mounted on said shaft and adapted tooperate in connection with Said valve seat, a pipe com municating withthe bottom portion of the cylinder below the piston therein, and a pipecommunicating with the cylinder head.

2.. A relief valve of the class described comprising a cylinder having acylinder head, a float chamber in communication with said cylinder, apiston movably mounted in one end portion of the cylinder, a valve seatin the other end portion of the cylinder, a shaft connected with andmovable with said piston, a valve mounted on said shaft and adapted tooperate in connection with said valve seat, a pipe communicating withthe bottom ortion of the cylinder belowthe piston therein, a pipecommunicating with the c linder head, the top portion of the floatchamber being provided with a valve seat, and: a float valve mounted insaid chamber and adapted to operate in connection with said seat.

3. A relief valve of the class described comprising a cylinder having acylinder head, a float chamber in communication with said cylinder, apiston movably mountedin one end portion of the cylinder, a valve seatin the other end portion of the cylinder, a shaft connected with andmovable with said piston, a valve mounted on said shaft and adapted to oerate in connection with said valve seat, a nine communicatmg with thebottom portion of the cylinder below the piston therein, a pipecommunicating with the cylinder head, the top portion of the floatchamber being provided with a valve seat, a float valve mounted in saidchamber and adapted to operate in connection with said seat, and a pipecommunicating with the top of the float chamber.

a. A relief valve of the class described comprising a cylinder, a floatchamber in communication with said cylinder, said float chamber beingprovided with a di charge, a float valve for controlling said discharge,a valve mounted in the cylinder, means mounted in the cylinder and inoperative connection with and adapted to operate said valve, meanswhereby air and water under pressure may be admitted into one endportion of the cylinder to operate the valve operating means therein,and means whereby air and water may be admitted into the other endportion of the cylinder, the air admitted into said last named meansbeing adapted to pass through the cylinder into and through the floatchamber when the valve is open, and the water passed therethrough beingadapted to raisethe float valve in the float chamber to close thedischarge therein.

The combination with a sprinkler sy tom of the class described,comprising a dry pipe valve and a plurality of distributer pipes, of arelief valve comprising a cylinder, means for placing one end portion ofsaid cylinder in communication with said dry pipe valve, means forplacing the other end portion of said cylinder in communication withsaid distributor pipes, and a valve in said cylinder for controlling thepassage of air and water therethrough.

6. The combination with a sprinkler system of the class described,comprising a dry pipe valve and a plurality of distributer pipes, of arelief valve comprising a cylinder, means for placing one end portion ofsaid cylinder in communication with the atmospheric chamber of said drypipe valve, means for placing the other end portion of said cylinder incommunication with said distributer pipes, a float chamber incommunication with said cylinder, a float valve controlled discharge insaid float chamber,

and an automatically operated valve mounted in said cylinder and adaptedto control the passage of air in the distributor pipes through saidcylinder and float chamber, and the passage of water through saidcylinder being controlled by the float valve in the float chamber.

7. The combination with a sprinkler system of the class describedcomprising a dry pipe valve and a plurality of distributor pipes, of arelief valve in communication with said dry pipe valve and saiddistributer pipes, said relief valve comprising a cylinder, a floatchamber at one side of said cylinder and placed in communicationtherewith, a piston movably mounted in one end portion of the cylinder,a valve seat in the other end portion of the cylinder, and a valvemember carried by and adapted to be operated by said piston and tooperate in connection with said valve seat.

8. The combination with a sprinkler system of the class describedcomprising a dry pipe valve and a plurality of distributer pipes, of arelief valve in communication with said dry pipe valve and saiddistributor pipes, said relief valve comprising a cylinder, a floatchamber at one side of said cylinder and placed in communicationtherewith, a piston movably mounted in one end portion of the cylinder,a valve seat in the other end portion of the cylinder, a valve membercarried by and adapted to be operated by said piston and to operate inconnection with said valve seat, the top portion of the float chamberbeing provided with a valve seat, and a float valve mounted in the floatchamber and adapted to operate in connection with said seat.

9. The combination with a sprinkler system of the class describedcomprising a dry pipe valve and a plurality of distributor pipes, of arelief valve comprising a cylinder having a cylinder head, means forplacing one end portion of the cylinder in communication with said drypipe valve, and means for placing the cylinder head in communication.with the distributer pipes, a float chamber in communication with saidcylinder, a piston movably mounted in one end portion of the cylinder, avalve seat in the other end portion of the cylinder, a

shaft carried by said piston and a valve mounted on said shaft andadapted to operate in connection with said. seat.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 19th day of May,1919.

FRED EOKS.

lVitnesses C. E. MULREANY, H. E. THOMPSON.

